Throughout the season, the TSN Hockey personalities put in innumerable hours keeping fans in the know on all aspects of the game. But each year on Trade Deadline Day, they shift into overdrive, displaying a trade-breaking, news-hunting prowess that is nothing short of superhuman.

With that in mind, TSN recruited renowned cartoonist and animator J.J. Sedelmaier - whose extensive body of animation work includes the first season of MTV's Beavis & Butt-Head, SNL's Saturday TV Funhouse cartoon block featuring The Ambiguously Gay Duo, and The Colbert Report's Tek Jansen - to dream up a promo spot for TSN's TradeCentre coverage that would debut before more than 9 million viewers during the Super Bowl.

Sedelmaier used his considerable creative powers to reimagine the TSN Hockey personalities as a crew of superheroes in a 30-second spot that plays on the dramatic intros to famous cartoon shows of the '60s and '70s, like DC Comics' Super Friends.

We talked to Sedelmaier about how the TradeCentre spot came together and which super hero he believes has the most impressive powers.

First of all, the question on everyone's mind: exactly what kind of monstrous beast is Jeff O'Neill riding here?

That seems to be the question of the hour! I was on Leafs Lunch on TSN Radio the other day, and that was something they were dwelling on: "What is this beast?" But you're right, it's a monstrous beast. It's part lion, it's…it's just a beast. I don't know what it is, but I don't think I could handle it.

How did you get involved in the TradeCentre project?

Basically, it just took [TSN Creative Director] Kieron Mullarkey calling me up. Once we talked about it, it took off very nicely. It was just Kieron and I working together, so it was a very streamlined process.

The whole idea of taking sportscasters and elevating them to superhero-like status is a lot of fun, especially when you're using their real voices to support the idea. In this case, I was trying to have fun with these guys who everybody sees, day-in and day-out. If you follow hockey, they're the ones feeding it to you, so to reimagine them as superheroes, it's a blast.

On top of that, this style of animation doesn't have the production value of what you're accustomed to. That makes it funky and playful, and it's a reminder that you don't have to take everything so seriously. Anytime you make fun of yourself, you're getting intimate with your audience. You're not putting on airs.

It seems to have garnered a nice bit of attention, and it sounds like I may be getting involved in other aspects of the TradeCentre animal.

Are you a big sports fan?

I didn't get the sports gene. I think my dad and I are the only ones in our family where sports just went around us.  Or we went around sports, because we were always involved in art. Also, coming from Chicago, I like the Cubs. So you have this kind of reluctant involvement in sports [as a result]. But we've done spots for everything from hockey to baseball to football to wrestling to golf, and there are times when I have to bone up on what the sport's actually about.

The spot matches the personalities of the TSN Hockey analysts to their super powers really well. How did you decide which powers to assign to each one of them?

That was so much of what Kieron had to coach me through, because even if I were into sports, I can't watch Canadian sports TV. I had no idea what TradeCentre actually was, so they filled me in on that. So we talked a lot about what their reputations were, and what details might be fun to explore. Then I just had to find a way to take the suggestions Kieron made and try to wedge everything into the 30-second framework.

Without overloading it, of course, because even though it's fun to have a breakneck pace, you do want to have a way of digesting it. I also tried to find a way where even if you didn't catch everything the first time, you'll catch something new when you see it again. Especially under the circumstances, airing in the middle of the Super Bowl, that was the most prominent reaction from people:  "What the hell was that?!" I tried to design it so that the next time it comes on, the reaction will be, "Here it is again! Now I get to check it out."

What compelled you to fit, as the spot says, "nine of the greatest hockey minds in the universe" onto one Rushmore-like mountain?

Well, I was the one who suggested that it be called Mount Hat Trick, and it was fun to elevate them to this level of immortality that makes this whole thing work as well as it does. I also liked that little touch in the beginning of having Sasquatch lean in. That was Kieron's idea, to work Sasquatch in somehow, so I kinda took it and had fun with it.

Based on the super powers you gave the TSN Hockey analysts, which one would you choose to get you out of a jam?

Well, with the support of that beast, it would appear that Jeff O'Neill would be the one to go for. I don't think I'd have James Duthie come to my rescue, I think I'd want a little more firepower!